Johnny Manziel capped off a long drive with a beautiful touchdown pass to Duke Johnson
There weren’t many fans of the Cleveland Browns that were optimistic about the fact that Johnny Manziel would be starting at quarterback on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals. While the Bengals jumped out to an early 14-3 lead, it was Manziel who made big plays just before halftime to put the Browns right back in the game.
In just over four minutes, Manziel drove the Browns 92 yards down the field on 10 plays. That drive down the field was capped off when the enigmatic and elusive quarterback bought himself some time by escaping the pocket and then let go a beautifully thrown pass to Duke Johnson in the end zone:
Johnny Manziel delivering a strike for a touchdown #johnnyfootball https://t.co/jbNLrniKhk
— Bryce (@BryceStawski) November 6, 2015
There’s a lot of negative things that can be said about Manziel on and off the field, but it’s plays like this that make you realize how far he’s progressed from just last season and make you think he could still have a future in the NFL.
The 92-yard drive that Manziel’s 12-yard touchdown pass capped off is the Browns’ longest drive of the season and, in fact, is their longest drive since December 2013. Manziel also happened to go 4-5 for 70 yards and, of course, the touchdown on that long, exceptionally quick drive.
Manziel finished the first half going 11-18 for 128 yards in the passing game and with two rushes for 11 yards. More importantly, he’s kept his composure and not turned the ball over. Don’t look now, but Manziel might keep the Browns in this game after all.